Multicontact switch



Aug. 10, 1954 E. BURBECK 2,686,239

' MULTICONTACT SWITCH Filed Feb. 21, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 we v l Hi lIigQ 2.

Zhmentor BUR 5 EEK (Ittorneg 1954 E. BURBECZK 2,686,239

MULTICONTACT SWITCH Filed Feb. 21, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 /0 Jig. 5.

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Gttomeg Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTICONTACTSWITCH Edward Bur-beck, Omaha, Nebr.

Application February 21, 1951, Serial N 0. 212,117

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to electric welding machines and equipment wherequick change of amperage is desired and where plugging the cable in atdifferent points is inconvenient, and in particular an electrode holderhaving a push button switch thereon for operating a solenoid actuatedswitch, the terminals of which are connected to the secondary winding ofa transformer at different points throughout the length thereof, wherebywith the primary winding of the transformer connected to a source ofcurrent supply the switch may be manually set or actuated by the pushbutton on the electrode holder to supply the desired amperage to theelectrode of the holder.

The purpose of this invention is to make it possible to change theamperage of current supplied to an electrode in a holder from the holderwithout the necessity of a welder leaving the work and walking to atransformer housing to plug the cable of the holder in at a differentpoint.

Various attempts have been made to facilitate welding by providing meanson an electrode holder for turning the current on and off but when it isdesired to change the amperage of the current to compensate for large orsmall breaks or gaps to be welded, or for different thicknesses ofmaterial, it is necessary for the welder to leave his work and walk tothe welding machine in order to withdraw the plug of the cable from theelectrode holder and place the plug in a different socket. This resultsin considerable loss of time and is annoying to the operator.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a solenoidactuated switch device in combination with a transformer whereby withthe switch device adjusted through the solenoid by a push button on anelectrode holder a welder may readily regulate the amperage as anelectrode in the holder is used.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means whereby aswitch device mounted to coact with a transformer of a welding outfitmay be actuated with a push button on an electrode holder of the Weldingoutfit to increase the number of turns of the secondary winding that areconnected in the circuit in order to increase the length of thesecondary winding of the transformer to regulate the amperage of currentsupplied through the transformer to an electrode in the holder.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for weldingequipment which provides means for regulating the amperage of currentsupplied to an electrode thereof from the electrode holder, that may beapplied to equipment now in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus with which awelder can regulate the amperage of current supplied to a Weldingelectrode at the electrode holder in which the parts are formed withconventional equipment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedwelding machine in which a welder can regulate the amperage of currentsupplied to an electrode from a holder in which the electrode is heldwhich is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a transformer connected to a suitable source of current supply,a multi-contact switching device having a plurality of terminals Witheach terminal connected to a secondary winding of the transformer at adifferent point, ratchet wheels for actuating and holding the switchdevice, a solenoid for turning the ratchet Wheels, and a push buttonmounted on an electrode holder of the welding machine.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating the improved weldingequipment with the wiring thereof shown diagrammatically.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuits of the improvedwelding apparatus.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the switch device housing.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the switch device housing,looking upwardly, and taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the switch device housing beingtaken on line 5-5 of Figures 1 and 4.

Figure 6 is a similar section taken on lines 6-6 of Figures 1 and 4.

Figure 7 is a detail illustrating an electrode holder with a push buttonmounted thereon.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts the improved welding outfit of this inventionincludes a switch housing In, a transformer I2, an electrode holder [4having a push button switch [6 thereon, and a solenoid l8 for actuatingthe switch device through ratchet wheels 20 and 22 on a shaft 24 in theswitch device housing.

The shaft 24 is journaled in the housing in bearings 26 and 28 at oneside and 30 at the other, and the outer end of the shaft is providedwith 3 a knob 32 by which the shaft may be manually rotated. An outerarm 34 is mounted on the shaft between the knob and housing and theouter end of the arm is provided with a recess 36 in which a ball 38 islocated and the ball is urged outwardly by a spring it whereby the ballsnaps into recesses 52 in the front wall 4d of the housing as a brush"$6 in a recess 38 in an inner arm 50 registers with one of a series ofterminals 52 on a rear wall 3 of the housing. By this means the innerarm is positioned over one of the terminals that are connected by wires55 to the secondary winding 58 of the transformer 52, and the springactuated ball also prevents the inner arm being moved out of thisposition by vibrations resulting from use of the welding outfit ormachine; 1

The inner arm 56, which is also mounted on the shaft Ed, is providedwith another recess Eli in which a brush 62 is positioned and the brush62 is urged outwardly by a spring 66 so that it is held in continuouscontact with a contact ring 66 that is positioned around the shaft andsecured in the wall 5L3 by bolts 65 which also provide terminals forconnecting wires to the ring. The brush it in the recess 48 of the inneror contact arm 59 is urged outwardly by a spring IE3 and the terminalsor contact points 52 are secured in the rear wall 54 by bolts I2 whichalso provide means for connecting the wires 55 to the terminals.

The shaft 24 is provided with threads i l on which the ratchet wheels 2iand 22 are threaded and the ratchet wheels are secured in the positionshown in Figure e by lock nuts 76 and I8. The teeth 80 of the wheel 20are positioned to be engaged by a pawl 82 on a ratchet bar Bil which ispivotally connected to one end of a lever 86 by a pin 88, and the lever,which is pivotally mounted by a pin 9!) in a bracket 92, is actuated bythe solenoid i8 through an extended core M which is pivotally connectedto the lever by a pin 95. A spring 98 which is connected to the ratchetbar 8 and to an eye I60 on an end wall Hi2 of the housing actuates theratchet bar in the return movement when the solenoid is deenergized. Awire or the like 41 is employed for causing an electrical contactbetween the brushes 56 and 82, said mem ber appearing diagrammaticallyin Figure 2 and being represented by full lines in Figure 4.

The pawl 82 forms an end of a yoke Hi l of the ratchet bar 3d, and thedevice is also provided with a latch its that is pivotally mounted onthe lever 85 at the point H33 and the latch, which is slidably mountedin a guide IIG that extends from the bracket 92, is positioned to engageteeth N2 of the small ratchet wheel 22, as shown in Figure 5. The latchprovides means for stopping rotation of the shaft whereby the brush 46is positioned to engage one of the terminals 52.

The bracket 92 is formed as shown in Figure 4, with outwardly extendedarms and the arms are provided with flanges IE4 and H5 which are securedto an end wall 558 by screws E20 and I22. Theswitch device housing isprovided with a socket I2 3 from which wires I25 and IE8, which areconnected to the solenoid it, extend to the electrode holder and sourceof current supply. The ring 65 in the switch device is connected by awire I 39 to the electrode holder is asshown in Figure 2, and a circuitis completed through this wire to an electrode I32 in the holder, as theelectrode engages apiece of work, such as a fender I3 3 of a motorvehicle, the said .wire Its-to a ground I50.

4 piece of work being grounded by a wire I35, which extends to a groundI38.

A conventional electrode holder may be used, and in the design shown,the holder is provided with a stationary jaw I40 and a movable jaw M2.The jaw M2 is actuated by a handle led to release an electrode and aspring I 36 engages the handle for urging the jaw M2 toward the jaw M8for gripping the electrode.

The push button switch It on the holder I4 is connected by the wire I26to the solenoid I8 and by a wire me to a battery I56, the oppositeterminal of which is connected to the solenoid by the wire I28.

The primary winding I52 of the transformer I2 is connected by a wire I53 to a source of current supply as indicated at I55 and the oppositeterminal of the battery is connected by a The opposite terminal of theprimary winding is connected by a wire I62 to a ground I64.

With the parts arranged in this manner a welder can readily change theamperage of the current to the electrode by pressing the push button It,and with a terminal of the switch device grounded with a groundconnection I68 and connected to one end of the secondary winding throughone of the terminals 52, a circuit is completed to the electrode andthrough the work to the ground. Each time the button It is pressed theratchet bar 84 is actuated by the solenoid I8 through the lever 86whereby the large ratchet wheel 28 is rotated the distance of one tooth,and in this movement the latch I advances to stop the movement of theratchet wheels and shaft, so that the contact arm 50 travels from oneterminal to another. By this means a welder at the electrode may advancethe amperage of the welding current as desired.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that awelding apparatus or machine constructed in accordance with my inventionis particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience andfacility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will alsobe obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change andmodification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof,and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself tothe precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shownin carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a multi-contact switch, the combination which comprises a switchhousing having a front wall, a rear wall, and a continuous wallconnecting said front and rear walls, a transversely disposed shaftjournaled in said front and rear walls and extended through said frontwall, a contact ring mounted on said rear wall and positioned around theshaft, a row of spaced radially disposed terminals mounted in the rearwall and spaced from the contact ring, an inner arm carried by saidshaft and positioned to bridge the contact ring 'and terminals, aratchet wheel mounted on said shaft, a bracket mounted on the innersurface of the end wall of the housing, a lever pivotally mounted in thebracket, a solenoid mounted in the housing, a core positioned in andextended from the solenoid, said core being pivotally connected to thelever "whereby the lever is actuated by the solenoid, a

small ratchet Wheel being oppositely positioned in relation to the teethof the former ratchet 10 Wheel, a latch carried. by the lever and positoengage the teeth or" the email ratchet Wheel to stop the ratchet Wheelsand. shaft with contacts of the inner contact arm bridging the contactrim and. one of said terminals, said front 15 Wall having a row ofrecesses in the outer surface positioned around and concentric with theaxis of the shaft, said recesses being positioned. to correspond withthe terminals of the rear wall, an arm having a spring actuated balltherein mounted on the shaft and positioned whereby the ball coacts withthe recesses to position the inner contact arm to correspond withterminals.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 740,447 Layman et a1. Oct. 6, 1903 1,948,377 Hacker Feb. 20,1934 2,447,955 Millholland et a1. -e- Aug. 24, 19% 2,481,033 NelsonSept. 6, 949 2,484,421 Moore Oct. 11, 1949

